In the bright, worn streets of a tourist-filled Old Havana, a furry canine laid seemingly lifeless on the cobblestone ground. As I walked closer to see if it was still breathing, the dog perked its head up before collapsing again under the blazing sun. In Cuba, there are growing numbers of animals,...

Watching the movie “Fast and Furious 8” was an amazing experience that bonded me with Cuba.
As a petrol head, illegal street racing scene in the movies can always touch my heart, while this time it blew my mind by showing 1949 Chevrolets Fleetlin race 1956 Ford Crown Victoria on the ramshackle, h...

It is always interesting when traveling abroad to experience that first reality check, which confirms you are not home. Today, in Havana, Cuba it is expected you will see cars from the 1950s, a not-so-modern airport, and experience weather in the triple digits always accompanied by humidity. What wasn’t expe...

Walking down 7th street in Central Havana, Cuba on a hot 87-degree day, I stumbled upon a brightly colored house, which caught my attention. The cheerful yellow and white crown molding invited me in. By the entrance, there was a dark blue “casa particular” sign in the window. A group of Cubans was...

We all need water to survive, we need dirt to plant seeds and the mixture of the two creates an element that we need in order to grow. They call this little community in Cuba the "Mud," but not for the way I see it but because it is dirty and poor. Poverty is something that exists but nobody really t...

Inside the dim doorway of a crumbling, unmarked building in Old Havana, 33-year-old Lily Castro Sevilla prepares her makeshift wooden nail station for the next customer. Half-empty nail polish reminiscent of the 1980s teeters in racks on the modest table.
While customers sit on metal chairs and blow...

Gaining access to information on water activities in Cuba proved harder than expected. Some local Cubans claimed that access to water for recreational or commercial purposes is strictly prohibited or limited. As one local street artist who goes by Martí said, “It is learning to see the lies… to ...

On Jan. 28, 1962, Juan Francisco Luna, or “Illo,” pronounced ee-yo, left his home at 3 a.m. towards the Atlantic Ocean just two blocks from his doorstep in Caibarién, Villa Clara, Cuba. From a "chapín," or rowboat, to a sailboat, to a fishing boat, there were a total of 14 refugees on board, just 9...

Sweat began to drip after spending all but five minutes inside Osorio’s Gym. There was no form of air conditioning besides a slight breeze making its way through the front entrance. “Two CUC,” Osorio replied when asked how much it was to work out at his gym.
It looked like a basement garage of...

A crowd of people lines up against the Malecón near Old Havana late afternoon to wave goodbye to the cruise ship that came in earlier that week. People hold their phones up taking pictures with the ship as their background and even of it. This is the site every time a cruise ship says farewell and u...

In a forest of banner-less flagpoles, there stands a wall, a wall that boldly displays three simple yet powerful words in bright red: “¡Patria o muerte!” Even more curious than its placement amongst the aforementioned flagpoles, however, is what building this wall is directly facing. Head past t...

Walking through the streets of Havana is like walking through a nirvana of color, smells, culture and history. Roaming the narrow hallways, tourists enter small shops filled with the same souvenirs they’ve seen all over the city. Locals look out over the city squares from their balconies as groups ...